THE Royal International Air Tattoo has teamed up with local artist Izzy Burton for this year's Cirencester March Hare Festival.

23-year-old concept artist Izzy, who studied at Farmor’s School in Fairford, was chosen by the Air Tattoo to decorate its 5ft hare, which will be featured in the 2017 Cotswold Trail as part of the festival.

Izzy said: “I am very excited to be working with the Air Tattoo to create a beautiful hare for the trail!

"My family and I are avid plane enthusiasts and we've cycled down to the show every year since I can remember.

"I was born in Hatherop and I went to school at Farmor’s, so it's really nice to be teamed with a sponsor that is even more local than I expected.”

The Cirencester March Hare Festival runs from March 25 to September 10. There will be 50 large hare sculptures decorating the Cotswolds for members of the public to find and pose for a selfie with.  

Each hare has been individually designed following the theme of this year’s trail – history.

This year’s Air Tattoo, which takes place on July 14 to 16, will pay special tribute to the 70th anniversary of the US Air Force.

Izzy said: “For 18 months my family lived in the US and my dream is to live in San Francisco working for a big animation company, such as Disney, as a concept artist, so I am particularly excited by the American aspect of the design.”

Air Tattoo spokesperson Natasha Neal said: “We have collaborated with a fantastic local artist and the design we have worked on with Izzy is very vibrant and incorporates the American feel of this year’s Air Tattoo, alongside the buzz of excitement surrounding the show, perfectly.

“The hare will be on display on the green opposite the Marlborough Arms in Fairford and will remain there throughout the airshow, so we hope lots of people will head over to take a look (and a selfie!) during the show period. We can’t wait for everyone to see what a fantastic job Izzy has done."

To look at some of Izzy’s designs, visit: izzyburtonart.wordpress.com/ or www.facebookcom/izzyburtonart.

A preview of 80 hares will be held on March 9 from 6pm to 8.30pm at Burford Garden Company OX18 4PA. 

Attendees will be able to meet artists, organisers, sponsors and patrons. Admission will be by donation to charity National Star. The suggested amount is £1 per person.